Now that you have purchased a plot of land for new-build,
you will naturally want to start construction. But first, you will need
a practical design with realistic costings, and a building permit. We
have extensive experience of local conditions, construction methods and
bureaucracy. Our design team, together with our associated architects
and engineers, can produce a design to your requirements and budget,
and obtain the permits and other documents needed for construction to
start.

3D design

It is common practice for architects to produce plans in 2D. Only when the plans are completed (and if requested by a client), are they sent to a graphic renderer, who produces static 3D images, at extra time and cost. If a design problem is then discovered, the plans have to be amended and sent back to the renderer, involving more time and cost. If the client does not request 3D images, there is a risk of expensive problems being discovered later.

One common expense in Crete - which has a high proportion of sloping plots and a wealth of differing ground conditions - is the cost of excavations. These alone can generate enormous extra expense, if not studied correctly beforehand.

Not surprisingly, there are situations which are difficult to visualise in 2D. But in 3D, we can easily examine common issues, for example:

• Are the sea views visible from the ground floor, or only from the first floor?

• The stairs seem to block that window, let's fix that.

• How much soil needs to be excavated from that area?

• The olive trees will provide shade for parked cars on summer afternoons.

• Does the pool elevation provide enough privacy?

• If we extend the pitched roof, the solar panels will be in shade until 11am every morning.

• The en-suite in bedroom 3 works, but feels a bit small - can we make it larger?

Our design team uses 3D
design software from the start. This provides a number of advantages.

For example, using the site level/tree survey, we can create a 3D replica of your plot, showing levels, roads, and trees. We can find the best location for your house and minimise excavations, retaining walls and drainage problems, which are high-cost items.

We design the whole house in 3D, which helps you and us to visualise the final results, making sure it "works" without expensive problems later. We add sample furniture to ensure rooms are laid out correctly. We have a large library of materials and colours to give an idea of of the finishes. We can show wiring and plumbing schemes, and can even plan relocation of trees affected by the construction.

3D design is much more realistic and immediate than 2D, allowing us to "walk through" and "fly around" the design. Clients can do the same when they visit our offices. If you are in your home country, we can save the images and plans in a personal and secure project area on our server, which you then access via the internet.

Fast response time
A design phase typically takes around two months, because it is normal to have several cycles of changes until clients are happy with the design and costs. And everybody - quite rightly - needs some "thinking time" between each cycle.

However, our 3D method cuts out repeated trips to architects' offices,
reduces communication errors, and avoids the usual delays while the
architect makes the requested changes. We communicate directly with
you, and we do not have to wait for third parties. We can quickly amend
the design and return it to you, ready for the next cycle.

Samples of our 3D design work
Please note that the size/quality has been reduced for internet download.